Touch the Sky
by KaleidoscopeHeart2012
Summary: Bethany Williams was six when she made the promise. That damn, freaking promise that may or may not have ruined her life. That stupid promise that may stop her from seeing her family again. That stupid promise that seperated her from the world she grew up in. But most of all, the promise that may be the reason she's falling in love . . .
1. Prologue

**Hey! First story alert! I've been reading Peter Pan fanfiction lately and couldn't stop myself from writing one. I'm not the biggest Peter Pan expert and I don't really know where this story is headed, so constructive crictism is always welcome!**

**But I'll let you read this chapter first.**

* * *

Peter sniffled as he hugged his knees to his chest. His back was rested against a tree trunk, it's roughness was highly uncomfortable, but he didn't care. Another girl had gone back home . . . had left Neverland behind and decided it was time to grow up . . . and left him behind. Kate Evans. The great, great granddaughter of Wendy Darling and great grandaughter of Jane Darling. Like all the other Darling girls Peter had taken to Neverland, she had chosen to grow up then stay with him in Neverland.

Peter knew it was foolish to cry. Crying meant he was sad, and being sad was letting his emotions get the better of him. But all the tears and sadness he had kept bottled up all these years were finally coming out. He couldn't help but cry. He couldn't stop himself from crying.

He felt a lump rise in his throat as he choked back a sob, but that did stop the tears from rolling down his flushed cheeks. He squeezed his eyes shut and bowed his head to his knees. Why . . . Why does everyone leave him? To grow up? Was it not exciting in Neverland? Was it him that was not exciting? These questions rose in his mind and made his chest tighten. He always had pretended that it didn't bother him when the Darling girls had decided to go back home, but, on the inside, he was dying. Every time he heard that they wanted to go home and grow up, he wanted to scream and cry till his voice box begged him to stop.

Could they not see? Growing up was a bad thing! Adults weren't any fun at all! They, in fact, ruin all the fun in the world. And yet they would chose to _become_ an adult themselves!

_Why . . . Why do you always leave me? _Peter thought to himself as he sobbed.

"Boy, what's wrong?" A curious voice questioned.

Startled, Peter's head shot up from his knees and jumped in surprise. Crouching in front of him was a little girl, around six or seven, holding a handful of freshly picked red roses in her small hand. The girl's dark skin surprised Peter and reminded him of cinnamon. Her dark brown, almost black, hair was pulled back in two buns that sat on the top of her head, a short pigtail hung from each bun at chins length. Her brown eyes held something in them . . .what was it? Curiosity? Love? Warmth?

Out of reflex, one of Peter's hands fell to his dagger, though he didn't pull it out. With his other hand, he quickly wiped away all the tears, as if to hide the fact he had just been crying. "W-who are you?" He demanded, though it came out softer than he had intended.

"Bethany Williams." She answered straight away. "What's your name?"

"Peter . . . Pan." He answered slowly.

"Why were you crying, Peter?"

"I wasn't crying."

"Yes, you were, I saw you."

"No, you didn't."

"Well, why were you sad?"

Peter was about to retort back to this girl, telling her he wasn't crying or sad and she should mind her own business, when he looked up at her glance. She was looking at him with the most curious and concerned looks he had seen. Peter couldn't help but tell her the truth. "Because . . . I was left alone again. Kate decided to come back here and grow up, rather than be with me." He answered, trying to hold back the tears which were gathering at the corner of his eyes. "She chose growing up over me, the Lost Boys and Neverland."

"Neverland?" Bethany blinked. "Do you mean you're the real Peter Pan?"

Peter nodded.

A smile lit up Bethany's heart-shaped face. "Really? That's so cool!" She said excitedly. "I've always wanted to go to Neverland!"

A small smile spread across Peter's lips. "Why don't I take you there?"

The smile on Bethany's face shrank and her excitement died down. "I'd love to, Peter, but I can't just leave home." She said.

"Oh." Peter frowned immediately and looked away from the six-year-old girl.

"It's not that I don't wanna go to Neverland with you, Peter, but Mama just had a baby boy a few days ago. I have a little brother now and I wanna be there for him." Bethany explained, but it was no use, since Peter didn't seem to be listening to her. "Tell you what!" She said a bit louder then she had intended, but it caught Peter's attention and made him turn around to her. "When I'm older and more smart I'll come to Neverland with you. And I'll stay there with you. I promise."

Peter felt a smile spread across his face. But it shrank when a thought crossed his mind. "How do I know that you won't change your mind?"

Bethany handed him a red rose from her hand. "Here, take this." She said, a smile spread across her features. A small blush could be seen on her cheeks, but Peter was oblivious to it. "This can represent my promise to you."

Peter, hesitantly at first, took the rose from her hand and observed it closely. It truly was a beautiful rose. When he looked back at the girl, he was surprised to see her smiling warmly up at him.

"Bethany!" An older male voice called.

Peter jumped out of fright, but quickly put his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest when he felt Bethany's gaze on him again. Bethany giggled to herself before looking over her shoulder. "Coming Papa!" She called back. She stood up, allowing Peter to look over her size. If he stood up next to her, she would probably come up to his knee or a bit higher. "I have to go now, Peter, Papa and I are going to deliver these roses to Mama. But don't forget my promise, or my rose, okay?"

Peter nodded. "Goodbye, Bethany."

The girl beamed at him, waved, then ran off. She ran as fast as her little legs would carry her. Peter watched Bethany run till he couldn't see her anymore. He turned his gaze back to the beautiful rose in his hand.

"_When I'm older and more smart I'll come to Neverland with you. And I'll stay there with you. I promise."_

A smile crept its way onto Peter's face. She had promised. Bethany had promised to come to Neverland when she was older. And he had proof of her promise right here in his hands.

His earlier depression forgotten, Peter flew to Neverland.

Tink was gonna love this . . .

* * *

**So what do you think? Good? Bad? Torture? Inbetween? Please tell me in your reviews! If any of you have any ideas for this story, just PM me. Thanks for reading my fanfic!**


	2. Autumn's Sunlight

**Sorry this took a while to update but I've been super busy lately! And I mean REALLY BUSY! I have had so much homework, assingments, essays, assesments - anything really school related! But don't worry - I'm back!**

**I just wanna make a quick note and say that, the singer that Beth and her friends mention in this chapter (Utau Hoshina) is actually a character from Shugo Chara (an anime I watched)! So I don't own her! And, unfortently, I don't own her songs either!**

**I also don't own Neverland or Peter Pan or the Lost Boys. Only my made up characters!**

**Now let's get on with the show!**

* * *

"Huh? W-what homework?"

"The homework I handed out yesterday and is due today."

"Oh, that homework . . . I don't have it."

"And why is that, Miss Williams?" Mrs Green shot Bethany a harsh glare. Her greying brown hair was tied in a tight bun at the top of her head and a pair of glasses were perched on her hooked nose. Her thin pink lips were pressed tightly together and her dark green eyes were boring right into Beth's eyes.

Beth rubbed the back of her neck nervously and managed a weak, wavering smile. "Erm, would you believe me if I said my dog ate it?"

"No."

"Well then my brother ate it." Mrs Green raised a grey eyebrow at the smiling fifteen-year-old girl. Her forever stern face not changing at all. Feeling the tension rising, Bethany laughed. A weak, shaky nervous laugh that wasn't fooling anyone. Least of all Mrs Green. "So . . . I guess . . . with my homework eaten and everything, I . . . can be let off for this one, right, Mrs G?"

* * *

_Slam!_

The door to the Math class slammed, with Beth on the other side of the door. Beth sighed and bowed her head, leaning her back against the cool white wall, her pigtails spilling over her shoulders. Even though she had forgotten to do her homework for the 20th or 21st time since the school year had started, it was still a bit harsh to send her out of the classroom and slam the door dramatically. Now Beth stood awkwardly in the hallway, waiting for Mrs Green to come out here and tell her off for forgetting to complete her homework.

But unlike the other twenty times, this time it wasn't Beth's fault she couldn't complete her homework! Well, at least, that's what she was trying to convince herself. Instead of doing her homework, Beth had been singing (very loudly) any Utau Hoshina songs that she could find.

Who's Utau Hoshina? She's a very famous Japanese singer and Beth's absolute idol. Why was she learning her songs instead of doing her homework? Because she was going to her concert tomorrow night and Beth wanted to make sure she had learnt all of Utau's songs off by heart, despite them being in Japanese.

Beth's best friend, Grace, had invited her to go see Utau Hoshina live and, being the complete Utau fan she is, Beth practically screamed yes a thousand times and almost suffocated her with her tight hugs.

Beth had planned on finishing her homework this morning, but her good mood had caused her to completely forget all about her homework. Beth closed her eyes as she relived the morning that had happened not twenty minutes ago.

* * *

_The sunlight poured into the Kitchen windows and bathed it with beautiful light. With the bacon sizzling away in the frypan; the smell of bacon made its way to Mr Williams nose. He smiled as breathed in the beautiful scent of breakfast. He could hear the birds singing from the trees outside the window. _

_Today was a truly beautiful morning._

_"Victor!" Came the panicked call from his wife, bringing him back to reality. Victor sighed to himself. So much for his _peaceful, beautiful _morning. He could hear her light footsteps as she hurried to the Kitchen._

_The door burst open and in marched Emma Williams, dressed in her pyjamas, carrying two shirts. Both in shades of pink. Emma Williams was a very beautiful young woman. Her dark brown hair caressed her heart-shaped face. She was very much like a porcelain doll; she looked very delicate and breakable. But, on the inside, Emma had the spirit of a fighter and was very strong and, when she needed to be, very scary. She turned to her husband, with a worried look, and held out both shirts in front of her. "Which shirt? Coral or Brink?"_

_Victor blinked at his wife. This was what was so important?! Which shirt she was supposed to wear?! They were practically the same colour! "Honey," he said calmly, setting his spatula on the nearby bench, and turned to his wife. "I don't think it's gonna matter which shirt your wearing. It's just a job interview." He said the last part with a bit of a chuckle._

_But his chuckle didn't do anything to cheer up Emma, in fact, it only made her angrier. She fixed a glare at him. "Victor!" She barked angrily. "Of course it matters! If I wanna get this job I have to look smart and sophisticated . . . calm and nice. Now hurry up and pick a shirt!"_

_Victor sighed and rubbed his temple, to stop his growing headache. It's not that he didn't love his wife; it was just that she had a habit of being very bossy and a hothead. "Alright, alright, I pick – the coral!"_

_"The coral?" Emma repeated, looking at the coral shaded shirt. "But that one won't match my lipstick."_

_Victor sighed again. "Alright, fine – I pick the brink!"_

_"But that doesn't match my shoes!"_

_Before Victor could say anything more, both Olivia and Sephy entered the Kitchen, in their usual fashion. Olivia with the grace of a swan and Sephy with her nose buried in her Harry Potter book. Olivia was the second eldest of the four Williams children, but, by far, acted like the eldest. She was very mature and polite and quite tall for her age – she was often mistaken for a sixteen or seventeen years old when, in reality, she was only fourteen._

_Sephy, on the other hand, wasn't as mature as Olivia but was definitely quieter. Most of the time, she was found reading a book. The twelve-year-old had read the entire Twilight saga by the age of nine! As well as the Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Sephy had waist length black hair tied in two ribbons. She wore her school uniform, which consisted of white button up shirt, a green tie, a cream coloured jumper and a knee-length grey skirt; with the typical white cotton socks and black mary-janes, of course._

_Without a word to each other, the two sat down at the table and poured their cereal, with Sephy reading her book at the same time. Olivia could sense her parents were getting into another one of their bickering fights again, with the yelling and all, and rolled her eyes. Her parents honestly had nothing better to do then bicker. _

_Forcing a cheerful smile, Olivia looked from her cereal and up at her parents. "Good morning, Mama, Papa!" She said with fake cheerfulness. But it went by unnoticed by the parents, who just kept on bickering._

_Smile disappearing, Olivia sighed frustratedly and slumped back into her chair, eyes glued to the cereal as if enchanted. Sephy's eyes didn't leave her book as she flipped another page. "Another bickering session, huh?" She asked, monotone._

_Olivia nodded. "Uh huh." She scoped a spoonful of cereal and shoved it in her mouth._

_"Baby, I think you just need to calm down–"_

_"Calm down, how the hell can I calm down, Victor?!" Emma angrily asked, slamming her shirts down on the nearest bench. "I have a job interview today that could very well determine my career path! I have to be absolutely perfect and how can I do that if you can't even chose the right shirt for me to wear?!" And with that, she turned her back on her husband and began banging her fists into the bench, not caring so much about how much it hurt. She also began mock crying out of frustration. The pounding of her fists caused both Sephy and Olivia to look up and watch their parents._

_Victor's face softened and he reached towards his wife, placing his hands on her tense shoulders. "Baby, baby – calm down. Come on – relax. Now, come on, close your eyes." He said in a calming voice as he began massaging her shoulders. Emma took a deep breath, stopped banging her fists and closed her eyes. "You're now in a peeaaaccceeefuuullll meeeeaaadddoww." _

_Both Sephy and Olivia exchanged sceptical looks and looked back at their parents. Surprisingly enough, Emma immediately calmed down and a small smile spread across her lips. "Your right." She nodded. "I'm in a peeaaaccceeefuuullll meeeeaaadddoww."_

_Sephy and Olivia's jaws dropped in shock and Victor sent them a smirk and a wink. They couldn't believe that cheap trick actually worked! On their _mother _of all people!_

_For a moment, Victor felt like he did two minutes ago. He could hear the sizzling of the bacon again, as well as the singing birds and the soft breeze. It was so calming and cheerful._

_Unfortunately for all of them, the silence was ruined when they heard the familiar clapping of Bethany's mary-janes bouncing from the stairs. She, very nosily, entered the Kitchen, singing one of Utau Hoshina's songs. _"Saa  
nani ga hoshii no? Nani wo motomeru no?  
Atsumeta kagayaki sono te no hira ni  
Subete sukui toru yogoreta yozora ni  
Kuroi DAIYAMONDO BURAKKU DAIYAMONDO "

_Emma's eyes flew open and her shoulders tensed up again, the calming spell well over now. Victor, Olivia and Sephy all sighed out of frustration. Beth, however, didn't notice their sighing and smiled brightly at everyone. "Hi!" She said cheerfully as she came to the bench._

_Due to her very cheerful mood, Beth had woken up earlier than usual and was dressed much neater as well. She wore a white button up shirt, a red ribbon tied around the collar, a caramel coloured vest and a knee length grey skirt. And, of course, her hair was tied up in its usual two buns with streamers of hair falling from each bun down her back._

_Victor sent his daughter an apologetic smile. "Uh, Beth, honey, your mother has a big job interview today." He said. "And she really needs to relax."_

_Emma didn't say anything but nodded along with her husband, sending her daughter the same apologetic smile._

_Realisation hit Beth like a ton of bricks and her smile faded instantly. "Ooooohhhhh, sorry, my bad." She whispered, a bit dramatically. "I promise, Mama, you won't even know that I'm here." To prove her point, she pointed at herself then brought her finger to her lips, telling them she would be very quiet from now on._

_Both parents nodded at their daughter while Olivia rolled her eyes at her older idiotic sister. Both Olivia and Sephy went back to eating their cereal while Victor tried massaging his wife's tense shoulders again. Just when Emma was able to calm down, Beth reached for some cereal but accidently bumped the milk with her elbow. It fell to the ground nosily and caused everyone to jump. Emma tensed up further and Victor sighed as he watched his daughter clumsily climb under the table to get the milk carton, which was lying in a pool of spilt milk. "OW!" She cried as she bumped her head on the wood of the table, the sudden bump, however, caused the cereal to fall from the table and spill onto the floor. Everyone watched as the corn flakes sprinkled to the ground, some getting caught in Bethany's hair._

_Beth quickly stood up from the table and carelessly dumped the empty milk carton onto the table and bent back down to pick up the fallen corn flakes. She tried placing the handful of cereal back onto the table but accidently ended up bumping all the spoons onto the floor as well; the clang of the spoons echoed throughout the room. Olivia slapped a hand to her forehead and Sephy brought the book closer to her face, as if to hide herself. Beth put a finger to her mouth when she looked at the combination of milk, cornflakes and spoons on the floor._

_Offering a weak smile to her parents, who were still staring at her with looks of alarm, she said, "You know, maybe I'll just skip breakfast today." Earning another sigh of frustration from Olivia. _

_Beth stepped over the mess she had created and began wiping away imaginary dust from her skirt, to avoid the eyes from her parents. Victor recovered from his shock before his wife did, though. "Beth, honey, do you remember us discussing when your mother started working again that we would all step up and have more responsibility?" He asked with an accusing tone colouring his voice._

_Beth nodded obediently, not wanting to upset or disappoint them any further. "Uh huh. Don't worry, I remember, Papa." She said, smiling smartly and pointing a finger to her temple. "I'm now a fifteen year old and very responsible."_

_Beth thought she heard Olivia and Sephy snicker at that, but they quickly covered it up with coughs so she ignored them. So did Victor and Emma. "And what was your responsibility this morning?"_

_Beth's smile brightened and she folded her arms behind her back, trying to act smart. "Wake up Michael and bring him down for breakfast–" the smile was off in a flash as realisation washed over Beth. Her arms fell to her side and she clicked her fingers together. "Snap." She mumbled to herself before making her way out of the Kitchen. On her way out, she accidently crashed her leg into the bin, which fell to the ground and spewed all of its contents onto the floor. Beth absentmindly picked the bin up and set it back on the ground, not caring for the rubbish and rushed out of the Kitchen and up the stairs to Michael's room._

_As soon as her presence was gone, Sephy and Olivia turned to their parents and watched, interested in what would happen now. Victor tried rubbing his wife's tense shoulders again and whispered in her ear, "Now come on. Peaceful meadow, peaceful meadow."_

_Emma scrambled out Victor's grasp and turned back to him with a weak smile. "M-maybe working is a bad idea. Maybe I should just stay a housewife and take care of the kids." She suggested with a shaky laugh._

_"_No. _No!" Victor replied. He knew his wife didn't like being a housewife. She desired being a teacher, like she had been before she had had any of the kids. He didn't want Emma to sacrifice her happiness anymore, like she had for the past fifteen years. "You're gonna go back to having a job, like we discussed, cause that's what you love, okay?" When he received a nod, he spun her around and continued massaging her shoulders. "Now come on, peaceful meadow, peaceful meadow . . ."_

_From the looks of things, it wasn't working as well as it was before, that much Olivia and Sephy could tell. Olivia looked back at the mess Beth had created in just a few seconds then looked at her younger sister. She put her hand to the side of her mouth and whispered, "Bit of a cereal killer, isn't she?" _

_"Bethany?" Sephy whispered back. Olivia nodded. A small smirk came into view on her face. "Tell me about it."_

_The rest of the conversation was drowned out by the hard banging from upstairs. Everyone looked up at the roof, where the banging was coming from. They knew that the hard banging was Beth pounding her fist into Michael's shut door repeatedly. "MICHAEL? MICHAEL! YOU BETTER WAKE UP, YA NAASTY!"_

_The Williams family didn't hear the door open, but they definitely heard Michael's cries of pain. "AHHHH! OWOWOWOWOW! GET OFF ME! MAMA! MAMA! GET HER OFF ME! SHE'S HURTING ME!"_

_Emma struggled to get out of Victor's grasp and run upstairs, but his hold on her was firm. He wouldn't let her budge._

_"QUIET!" Beth yelled at the top of her lungs, making everyone look back up at the roof. "MAMA'S TRYING TO RELEAX, YA IDIOT!"_

_This made the whole family sigh and roll their eyes. They heard Beth storming downstairs, pulling Michael with her. Beth's frustrated mumbles became louder and louder as she approached the Kitchen. "Come on, ya nasty – get down here – get. Down. Here." The door to the Kitchen burst open and Beth dragged Michael in by the collar, who was close to tears. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and Beth brushed her arms off, unaware that all eyes were on both of them._

_She smiled brightly, as if she hadn't just tried to murder her brother. "Well," she announced, fists on her hips, "that's my job done."_

_And cue the sighs._

* * *

And because of that little event, Beth had completely forgotten all about her homework, which was how she found herself standing outside in the hall. Beth sighed to herself. What did it matter if she forgot to complete some homework a couple of times? It's not like it's gonna make a difference.

Finally the Math classroom door opened and out stepped Mrs Green. Beth immediately straightened her posture and stopped slumping against the wall. Mrs Green held her hands behind her back and walked to Beth, the clapping of her heels hitting the cement as she walked. She finally stopped in front of Beth, but didn't say anything. Not for a while. Beth felt her knees begin to shake, whatever Mrs Green was planning to say, it sure as hell couldn't be good.

Finally, Mrs Green let out a breath and spoke. "Now, Miss Williams, you say that you haven't brought me your homework?"

Beth nodded. "Uh huh."

Mrs Green nodded calmly, scaring Beth even more. This calmness was seriously freaking Beth out. Couldn't Mrs Green just yell and scold her like a normal teacher? "And, tell me, Miss Williams, when was the last time you brought me your homework, completed?"

Beth blinked. Boy, that was a tough question. Beth held her chin with her thumb and finger and seriously thought about this. "Uh . . . let's see? Was it last week? – Oh, no! That was when I handed in my Music homework – um, how about last Friday? – No! That was Drama! – Uh, well, uh, you see . . . probably . . . the last time I handed in my homework would probably have to be . . ." Beth trailed off when her mind came up blank. She honestly did not remember ever bringing in homework since the beginning of the year. Beth's hand rubbed the back of her neck and she laughed nervously. "Uh, hehe, gee, I guess I never handed in my Math homework – hehe, but you're not gonna tell my parents about this, are ya, Mrs G?"

Mrs Green raised an eyebrow at the nervous teenager standing in front of her.

* * *

Beth moaned for what felt like the hundredth time today and banged her head against her locker. She closed her eyes to shut the sounds of chatter and laughter that filled the walls of the hallway. "My life is so over." She moaned with a fake sob.

Grace patted Beth repeatedly on the back, in a way to comfort her very depressed best friend. "There, there," she said soothingly. "Cheer up, Beth! You act as if it's the end of the world of somethin'."

Beth looked up at Grace, revealing the unshed tears shinning in her eyes. "But you don't understand, Grace, if my Mum reads that letter Mrs G wrote, I'm dead."

Grace knew that Beth was right. Though Emma was very kind and loving, her temper was very short. In fact, Grace knew, as a matter of fact, that Beth had inherited the same temper as well.

Not liking seeing her best friend in such a down mood, Grace forced a cheerful smile. "Oh come on, Beth! You know that Mrs G won't probably send that letter till tomorrow!" She said happily. The sadness drained from Beth's face and was replaced with curiosity. "And by then you'll be at the Utau concert with me and Molly!"

"Yeah, that's true . . ." Beth admitted quietly, wiping away some of her tears.

Grace nodded, her smile not fading a bit. "I know it's true! You alright, now?"

Beth nodded at her friend. "Yep!" Her usual bright smile spread across her lips. "I feel so much better now – arigato Grace!"

Grace winked at Beth. "I see your learning some Japanese words, eh Beth?"

Beth laughed. "Of course I am!" She said enthusiastically. "I can't be a fan of a Japanese singer and _not _pick up a little Japanese along the way!"

"I guess you're right." Grace admitted a little sheepishly. There was a silent pause. Until both girls fell into a fit of laughter.

"What'll ya'll laughin' yer asses off about?" A familiar voice asked from behind the pair of laughing mad girls.

The laughing stopped and both girls looked over to find their other best friend Molly Thomas standing behind them with her fists on her hips. Her short red hair was pulled in a side ponytail and her emerald green eyes shone with amusement. She was quite tall for her age, a few inches taller than Olivia.

Smiles lit up Grace and Beth's faces as they laid their eyes on their friend. "Oh, hi there, Molly." Grace said warmly.

"How ya'll doin'?" Beth asked, a smile present but also the purest of curiosity shining in her eyes.

A smile spread across Molly's face and she leaned her back against the locker next to Beth's, which just so happened to be hers. "Fine." She answered with a careless shrug. "Jus' had History – and let me tell yeh, Mrs Tims can chat yer ears off. Half tae class was spent talkin' 'bout her two sons in College."

Grace rolled her eyes, nodding her head in agreement. "I have to agree with ya on that one!" She admitted, folding her arms over her chest. "I swear, we know more about her sons then we know about the actual war we're supposed to be learning about."

"Amen." Molly agreed with a nod.

A blush spread its way across Beth's cheeks as something (or rather, some_one_) caught her eye at the end of the hallway. Noticing her being quiet, both Molly and Grace looked down at her, to find Beth not even looking at them, staring at something else, wide-eyed with cheeks the shade of tomatoes.

"Huh? Bethany? You alright?" Grace asked, concerned, shaking Beth's shoulder, hoping to snap her out of her day dream. But it did nothing. Beth's gaze wouldn't move from whatever she was looking at.

"Huh? Whadja lookin' at?" Molly asked. She bent down to Beth's side and followed her gaze. A smile spread across Molly's face when she saw what – or rather, _who _Beth was staring at. Edward Thompson. Most popular boy in the ninth grade and the object of Beth's affections – no matter how much she tried to deny it. Not that Molly could blame Beth for liking Edward, he sure was a hunk. But not someone Molly would really want to date.

Unlike a lot of the popular guys in High school, Edward was very kind and thoughtful. He had a great sense of humour and always had a positive attitude about everything. He was very athletic, as well. He was on _both _the basketball team as well as the football team. Edward was quite muscular, for boys his age, and had broad shoulders. His wind swept hair was golden and his eyes were the same shade as the water was on a beach – a clear blue that sparkled in the sun.

At the moment, Edward was trying shove his basketball into his locker – which was pretty much impossible. By his side was his best friend, Max Wright. Max wasn't the sharpest pencil in the box, if you get what I'm lamely saying. He was quite blunt, dense and slow but was very friendly and kind. He had untamed dark brown hair and a face full of freckles. Unlike Edward, Max didn't have that many admirers, but Molly was one of the rare few who definitely liked Max _that _way. But, unlike Beth, she was able to approach her crush without blushing at treat him normally.

"Awwwwwwhhhhhhhhhh . . ." Molly stood back up to her original height, her fists on her hips and a playful smirk playing at her lips. Just like magic, the sound of Molly's teasing tone snapped Beth out of her daydream and made her look up at her smirking best friend.

"W-What?" She asked hesitantly, her not-so-subtle blush not fading from her cheeks.

"Nuddin'." Molly said with a careless shrug, turning to her locker, opening it and grabbing her books.

A frown slowly formed onto Beth's face. "What?" She repeated, but a bit louder than before.

After finding her Chemistry book, Molly closed her locker and sent a wink in Beth's direction. "Oh, jus' yeh were gawkin' at yer crush again." She said, like it meant nothing, examining her nails.

If possible, Beth felt the heat in her cheeks double as she stiffened. "I-I wasn't gawking at him!" She exclaimed, a little louder than necessary.

Beth felt a hand pat her tense shoulder and found it was Grace, looking quite amused. "There, there, Beth, at least you weren't drooling like last time."

Beth hit Grace in the shoulder while she and Molly laughed at her flustered state. "Oh shut up!" She snapped.

After they ended their laughter, they both cleared their throats. "Come on, Beth," Molly whined, tugging on Beth's sleeve, "why don' yeh jus' talk ta 'im? Ya obviously like 'im."

Beth was about to protest when she realised it was useless, trying to talk Molly out of believing she had a 'crush' on Edward. "Because if I come within a few _metres _of him, I start blushing and can barely say anything to him."

"Come on, Beth," Grace said, holding onto both of Beth's shoulders and forcing her to turn in Edward's direction. "Your gonna have to learn how to talk to him soon because he and Max are coming with us to Utau's concert tomorrow!"

Beth sighed. "I know."

When Grace had won the Utau concert tickets in a contest, she had been given two extra tickets. And who better to invite then her best friend's crushes?

"Beth, come _on_, ya like 'im and ah'm _sure _he likes you." Molly said confidently.

"H-How would you know?" Beth asked shyly, casting her eyes down to her very interesting shoes.

"Cuz yer a great person, Beth." Molly admitted truthfully. Beth looked up from her shoes and up to her best friend. "Yer funny, confident, sweet, carin' and even though yer small, you 'ave a big mouth ta make up fer it."

Beth frowned. "Hey!"

Grace bit back a chuckle and took over before Molly could continue talking. "What she means is that you have a great personality." She explained. "And Edwards always more friendly with you then other girls, so that must mean he likes you."

"And what if he doesn't like me?" Beth had to ignore the way her heart sank at this possibility.

Molly blew her fringe out of her face, carelessly. "Well den, 'is obviously not worth it, 'kay?"

Beth nodded confidently, even though confidence was anything but what she felt.

"So go talk tae 'im, right?"

"Alright."

"Well, wha' are yeh waitin' fer? Get goin'!" And with one hard push, Molly sent Beth stumbling to her crush and his friend.

Beth could feel her heart pounding and her blood rushing to her cheeks. The worry and nervousness curled in her stomach and Beth was tempted to turn back. In fact, she _would _have turned back if it hadn't been for the fact that she could feel Molly and Grace's stares boring into her back. They would so kill her if she didn't talk to the guy she had been staring at and drooling over for months on end. She could almost hear their thoughts yelling at her to hurry up and walk faster to him. But Beth was worried if she walked to fast, she would trip and embarrass herself in front of Edward, so Beth kept going to the pace she was currently taking.

As she got closer to the two boys, she could hear their conversation. Well, she could hear Edward mumbling to himself as he _still_ tried shoving the basketball into his locker. "Damn – stupid ball – won't fit in." He mumbled under his breath.

Max, who had his hands shoved in his pockets and was looking at the ground with a bored expression waiting for his friend, looked up with a look of alarm. "Waitwaitiwaitwaitwaitwait," He said a little to fast as he took the ball from Edward's hands, who was looking at him confusedly. Max rolled his eyes at Edward's confused look and held the ball delicately. "Turn it on its _side._" Max explained, turning the ball on its 'side'. Edward rolled his eyes and Beth raised an eyebrow at Max as he turned around and tried to shove the ball into the locker. But, just like last time, it wouldn't go in. Max tried again. A third time. After the fourth failed attempt, Max examined the ball with a confused look. "That's funny – it worked with my football."

Edward rolled his eyes again and snatched the ball from Max's hands. "Thank you, Max, but I think I'll just carry it." He said, in a bit of an irritated tone. Not that Beth could blame him with this.

Max held up his hands innocently and nodded. Beth now found herself a couple feet behind the boys, so taking a deep breath, made herself noticed. "Hi Ed." She blurted out before she could stop herself, using his nickname instead of his full name.

Both boys turned around from Edward's locker to find Beth standing in front of them, beaming at them with beet red cheeks. A smile immediately blossomed on Edward's face and he threw his basketball over his shoulder, which luckily Max caught. "Oh, hey Beth." He said in his usual warm tone that made Beth's heart flutter. "Didn't see ya there."

"Well, I just spotted you and thought I should talk to you." She lied. But apparently Edward and Max believed her. Beth wanted to say more to Edward, but found in the presence of Max, it wasn't really gonna happen. "Hey Max, can we get a minute?" She asked politely, gesturing to her and Edward.

"Oh sure thing, Bethany." Max nodded with a friendly smile on his face.

"Thanks." Beth barely whispered. But instead of leaving them alone, which Beth was sure she had asked Max to do, he laid his arm around her shoulder and dragged her away from Edward, who, in turn, rolled his eyes at his best friend.

"So, uh, what'd you wanna talk to me about?" Max asked.

Beth had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at Max. He truly was an idiot! Beth stiffened when she saw Molly staring murderously at her. Beth almost sighed. Molly liked Max so much it wasn't even funny anymore. So turning to Max, she forced a polite smile, which wavered slightly. "Nothnin', I just, uh, wanted to talk to Ed, you know, _alone_."

"Well, his right over there," Max replied, nodding his head in the direction of Edward, who's eyes were glued to Max's arm on Beth's shoulder, "why are you talking to me for?"

Beth felt like banging her head against the wall at his stupidity. _What does Molly see in this guy?! _She cried in her head, but kept her wavering smile glued to her face. "I don't know – I guess I wasn't thinking."

Max nodded understandingly, his arm finally falling from her shoulder. "Ah, I have those days."

Beth felt laughter bubbling in her throat and had to hold it back, not wanting to sound rude. So, in a friendly matter, she patted his shoulder. "I'm sure you do, Max, I'm sure you do."

Edward, who neither Max nor Beth had noticed make his way over to them, snatched his basketball a little bit roughly and pointed down the other end of the hall. "Go, Max – just go."

Max nodded and, after shoving his hands in his pockets, started walking away from the couple. Beth noticed that he was headed over to Molly and had to resist smiling and squealing like a fangirl.

So, turning back to Edward, Beth beamed at him, ignoring the hot blush pooling her cheeks, and tried to act like her cheerful self. Edward's gaze lingered on Max's back untrustingly for a while before he finally turned back to the small girl in front of him and smiled down at her. "So, uh, Bethany–"

"Just call me Beth." Beth interrupted with a sweet smile. "After all, I already call you Ed, right Ed?"

Beth didn't if it was her eyes deceiving her or not, but she _swore _she could have seen a light pink blush colour Edward's cheeks. "Alright then, _Beth_." Beth ignored how her heart went warm when he said her name. _He said it so . . . perfectly! _Beth thought to herself. "Whadja wanna talk to _me _about?"

"I . . ." Beth trailed off, having not actually thought of that. She had been so determined on getting over here and talking to him, she hadn't actually thought of a reason for _why _she would want to come over here and talk to him. She could almost hear Grace's thoughts yelling at her, _History! Say you didn't write down the History homework! You're in the same history class, right? _Beth mentally beamed. Of course! That would be the perfect example! They _were _both in the same History class! So, with confidence, Beth answered, "didn't get to write down the History homework we were given yesterday – could you tell me what the homework was?"

Edward immediately smiled at her. "Yeah, sure – just let me get my History book . . ." He trailed off as he stumbled to his locker and reached in for his History book.

Beth's smile refused to fade. She caught Grace's eye, who sent her a thumbs up. Beth nodded and turned back to Edward, who was trying to get his History book quite clumsily. _Girl telepathy rocks! _Beth thought.

* * *

The afternoon found Beth walking home from school with a smile so big on her face that Olivia was worried it would split. Beth hummed a happy tune under her breath, stopping to giggle every few seconds. Her hair bounced as she took her energetic steps, skipping just like a six-year-old.

Olivia rolled her eyes at her older sister's childish behaviour. Though she couldn't remove the smile that was slowly forming on her mouth. "So what's wrong with you, Beth?"

Beth turned to her sister, her smile not faltering a bit. "What'd you mean what's wrong with me?" She asked. Olivia rolled her eyes again. "I can honestly tell ya _nothnin' _is _wrong _with me, Olivia. Everything is completely and positively . . . _right_."

With a sigh, Beth folded her arms behind her head and marched ahead; beaming up at the sky. Olivia watched her sister for a while before hurrying to catch up with her and pressing on the subject. "Well, what is _right_, then?" She questioned. After she received a sigh from Beth, she knew she was getting somewhere. "Come on, Beth, I'm your younger sister – you can tell me." Beth stopped walking, her arms dropping to her side. Olivia stopped in her tracks as well, her confused gaze never leaving the older girl. A shadow covered her eyes as Beth gazed down at her shoes and her smile was, for once, absent. Olivia's confused look quickly turned into one of concerned as she took one step forward towards her older sister. "Beth . . .?"

Suddenly the mystic, sad look Beth had on her face disappeared in a flash and was replaced with one of happiness and childishness. Her smile was double the size then before and her cheeks were tinted pink. She held out her hand in a peace sign and the atmosphere around her grew happy. "I was able to talk to the guy I like!" She cheered happily.

Olivia felt her jaw hit the ground at Beth's sudden change in emotions. One minute she was depressed in a mysterious, dark way and the next she's happy and had a childish light about her. Olivia tried talking but found her words were coming out in stutters. "B-but j-j-jus-s-t two s-s-s-e-conds a-ago you were– and now you're – w-why?"

Beth smiled even wider at her younger sister's confusion, dropping her hand in the process. "I just wanted to be dramatic – don't worry nothing's wrong – as I said before, everything's just right." She said, walking passed her stunned sister. "Geeze, Olivia, you are so gullible."

Olivia stared in shock at her elder sister as she walked on ahead. Beth almost tripped, but steadied herself before she made contact with the ground. Olivia sighed to herself, closing her eyes in defeat. "Baka." She muttered under her breath.

Olivia stared at the retreating back of her older sister. Even though she and Beth had lived under the same roof their whole lives, Beth never failed to confuse or surprise Olivia. Beth had to be the most confusing girl Olivia had ever met. The girl was always smiling and never failed to cheer up others. But, despite how much she smiled, the girl was a bit of a crybaby and cried pretty much all the time. She was very clumsy and was always tripping over, crashing into things or accidently hitting herself.

Olivia hadn't realised that she hadn't started walking, till Beth, who looked like a dot due to the distance between them, turned around and waved at her. "Hey Olivia!" She called. "You coming or what?!"

Olivia hurriedly nodded. "Coming!" She called back before running to catch up with her sister.

The afternoon walk went by normally. Both sisters had their occasional chat (in which chat means arguments and fighting) but soon sank into an occasional silence. Beth held her satchel in front of her lap, a soft smile touching her face, and looked up at the sky. She almost stopped walking then and there.

The sky was a so beautiful.

The sun painted the sky with vivid reds and oranges. Beth relaxed. A warm smile spread along her lips. Subconsciously, she placed a hand to her chest while the other held her satchel. A warm, gentle breeze swept by and blew her pigtails over her shoulders. The leaves of the nearby trees flew in the wind, making Beth's heart flutter with happiness. It truly was a pretty sight. The sun hanging low in the sky, the vivid colours painting the sky, the delicious scent of an autumn breeze and the leaves dancing gently in the wind.

Beth stretched out the hand that was clutching her heart and raised it above her head, fingers spread out wide. She stood on one foot; trying to gain height but failing completely. The warm sunlight shone through the outline of her hand, like a golden aura. Childish giggles escaped Beth's lips. She spun around on her feet (ungracefully), dancing with the leaves and wind. Granted, Beth wasn't the best dancer in the world, but the emotion that swung with her body made up for it.

"You are such a baka." A familiar voice commented.

Beth spun around, her hair whipping along with her body, and smiled childishly at her younger sister. Her arms were tucked behind her back and her feet were firmly placed on the ground, but the smile was still visible and not fading.

"If I am a baka," Beth begun with a shrug, "at least I'm a baka who knows how to have fun!"

Olivia tried to keep the hard, disapproving look pasted on her face but couldn't stop the smile from growing on her face. Nor could she stop the child in her begging her to join Beth in her dance.

As if sensing the small desire to dance, Beth stopped her dancing and turned back to her sister. She ran to Olivia and stretched out her hand towards her. Olivia looked at Beth's hand before looking up at her older sister. The sun highlighted her figure and created a halo.

Without much thought, Olivia took Beth's hand and let her older sister drag her to where the leaves were dancing gently. The both mock curtseyed to each other before bursting into a fit of giggles. Dropping their satchels, the two began dancing with the leaves, wind and sun. Not caring if people stared, nor if they clapped or cheered.

All that they cared about was that they were having fun.

* * *

**And that concludes the second chapter of Touch the Sky. To be honest, I'm kinda dissapointed with how I ended this chapter - it was kinda chessy. Anyway, two words that Beth and her friends said were Japanese and you prboably don't know what they mean. Heres a translation:**

**Arigato = Thank you**

**Baka = Idiot**

**Anyway, please review. I'm working hard on the next chapter right now! ****And to my previous reviewers, thank you so much for reviewing! It's greatly appreciated.**


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